Rachel Hurd-Wood

Rachel Hurd-Wood Biography

Rachel Clare Hurd-Wood was born in London
on August 17, 1990 to Philip Hurd-Wood (a long-term screenwriter,
voiceover artist, and actor) and Sarah Hurd-Wood. Her brother Patrick
is four years younger, and she feels they have a special bond. When
Rachel was growing up she enjoyed reading, and even stumbled upon
"Peter Pan" when she was about eight, but admits to not understanding
the deeper meaning until reading it again for auditions of the
open-casting call for the role of Wendy Darling at age twelve -
Rachel's claim to fame.

With only the experience of a
school play at seven, after her grandparents recommend she try out for
the role, seeing an advertisement for the open casting call on
telivision, after several auditions Rachel was surprised to hear she
had got the role for Universal's new and first live adaptation of
"Peter Pan". The film Opened Christmas day of 2003, she co-starred
along side Jeremy Sumpter and revered actors such as Jason Isaacs,
Olivia Williams, Lynn Redgrave, and Ludivine Sagnier. Nicknamed the
"English Rose" critics raved about Rachel's wonderful acting debut
claiming she was the perfect Wendy, very resourceful and true to
bringing out the adventurous side of her character.

She got signed with Paradigm management not long after, and looked over
several scripts from her agents before accepting Imogen in "Sherlock
Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stockings." her first television debut
which aired on BBC. Since then she has filmed "An American Haunting",
where she stars as the main character, Betsey Bell - victim of a
mysterious ghost's torments. She is currently in Germany, filming "The
Perfume" as Laure Richis - a young, wealthy virgin, who is the object
of affection for a perfume maker (Dustin Hoffman) and suitor (Ben
Wishaw) coming out end-2006.

Rachel now resides in Godalming, Surrey, an hour from London in a
Victorian cottage at the edge of a leafy forest. She lives with her
parents, brother, and two gerbils - Romulus and Remus. She goes to
school locally, where she is determined to do well academically and is
close with her friends, who keep her grounded. As for the future,
Rachel has held on to her dream job as a marine biologist, but recently
has taken an interest in working with children who have special
emotional and psychological needs ..and ofcourse, acting is a
possibility.